Improvements in computer processing power and broadband technology have led to the development of interactive three-dimensional models. For instance, interactive geographic information systems can provide for the navigating and displaying of three-dimensional representations of geographic areas. A user can navigate the three-dimensional representation by controlling a virtual camera that specifies what portion of the three-dimensional representation is rendered and presented to a user.
The three-dimensional model can include geometry and texture that is texture mapped to the geometry. For instance, a three dimensional model of a geographic area can include terrain geometry that models the terrain of the Earth in addition to building geometry that models buildings, bridges, and other objects. Geographic imagery, such as aerial or satellite imagery, and other imagery can be texture mapped to the terrain geometry and/or the building geometry to provide a more realistic model of the geographic area.
Vector data can be rendered in conjunction with the three dimensional model. Vector data can include data such as labels, overlays, road overlays, text, and other data. One approach to rendering vector data in conjunction with the three-dimensional model is to render the vector data in the three-dimensional space defined by the model. This can require complex projection calculations and can require tracing many rays to place the vector data correctly relative to the surface of the three-dimensional model. It can also be difficult to consistently place the vector data correctly using this approach.
Another approach to rendering vector data in conjunction with the three-dimensional model is to texture map the vector data to the three-dimensional model. However, certain objects within the three-dimensional model can include lumpy, edgy and awkward geometry. As a result, texture mapping vector data directly to the three-dimensional model can lead to the vector data becoming unreadable or placed incorrectly.